The answer is Azure NetApp Files. This is the correct choice because it delivers a fully managed, POSIX-compliant NFS file system that scales throughput linearly with capacity, meaning as you add more storage, you automatically gain proportional throughput—critical for HPC workloads where thousands of Azure VMs need low-latency concurrent access to files hundreds of gigabytes in size. On the AZ-305 exam, this scenario tests your ability to differentiate Azure NetApp Files from other file solutions like Azure Files (which lacks POSIX compliance and linear throughput scaling) or Azure Blob Storage (which is object-based, not NFS-native). A common trap is confusing Azure NetApp Files with Azure HPC Cache or Azure Managed Lustre; remember that the key phrase “fully managed, POSIX-compliant NFS with linear throughput scaling” points exclusively to NetApp Files. Memory tip: think “NetApp = NFS + POSIX + linear throughput” for any HPC scenario requiring concurrent low-latency access from thousands of VMs.
AZ-305 Design data storage solutions Practice Question
This AZ-305 practice question tests your understanding of design data storage solutions. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company runs a high-performance computing (HPC) workload that requires low-latency access to large files (hundreds of GB) from thousands of Azure VMs concurrently. The files must be accessible via the NFS protocol and the solution must be a fully managed, POSIX-compliant file system that can scale throughput linearly with capacity. Which Azure storage solution should they choose?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Azure NetApp Files
Azure NetApp Files is the correct choice because it provides a fully managed, POSIX-compliant NFS file system that can scale throughput linearly with capacity. It is designed for HPC workloads requiring low-latency access to large files from thousands of concurrent VMs, offering sub-millisecond latency and high throughput that increases as you add capacity.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
Azure NetApp Files
Why this is correct
Correct. Azure NetApp Files offers high performance, low latency, and POSIX compliance with linear throughput scalability.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Azure Files (premium tier)
Why it's wrong here
Azure Files premium provides NFS but has lower throughput and IOPS compared to NetApp Files, and may not meet HPC needs.
✗
Azure Blob Storage with NFS 3.0 support
Why it's wrong here
Blob Storage with NFS provides standard storage, but latency and throughput are not suitable for demanding HPC workloads.
✗
Azure HPC Cache
Why it's wrong here
HPC Cache is a caching service that accelerates access to existing storage; it is not a fully managed file system itself.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse Azure Blob Storage with NFS support as a fully POSIX-compliant file system, overlooking its lack of full POSIX compliance and linear throughput scaling, or they assume Azure Files premium tier can match the performance and scalability of Azure NetApp Files for HPC workloads.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure NetApp Files uses the ONTAP data management software, which provides a true POSIX-compliant NFSv3/v4.1 file system with a single namespace. Its throughput scales linearly with the provisioned capacity tier (e.g., Standard, Premium, Ultra), allowing you to achieve up to 4.5 GB/s per volume with Ultra tier. This is critical for HPC workloads like genomic sequencing or financial risk modeling where thousands of VMs read/write large files concurrently.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this AZ-305 question in full detail.
Design data storage solutions — This question tests Design data storage solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Azure NetApp Files — Azure NetApp Files is the correct choice because it provides a fully managed, POSIX-compliant NFS file system that can scale throughput linearly with capacity. It is designed for HPC workloads requiring low-latency access to large files from thousands of concurrent VMs, offering sub-millisecond latency and high throughput that increases as you add capacity.
What should I do if I get this AZ-305 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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